Survival of the Fittest 2
by QTpi935
Summary: I'm glad that this story doesn't have any resemblance to the previous one, so you don't have to read the first to understand! Two times the peril, two times the romance - two times the deaths.
1. Prologue

Prologue

The Sequel to Survival of the Fittest.

Sequels are never as good, you may say. But, whether or not this is better, I just had more to say about the Puffs and the Ruffs. So, you may think, Why not just leave a good thing alone? Why? I say: Because I don't feel like leaving it alone.

We last saw the Powerpuffs on a deserted island where their powers do not work -- Einstein Island.

Blossom fell off a cliff after being bitten by a spider, madly in love with her counterpart, Brick, only to be saved by Professor and Buttercup in a helicopter.

Brick fell off a cliff and narrowly avoided being skewered on a sharp rock, saved by Boomer.

Bubbles had to eat shark and almost was drowned by high tide. She fell in love.

Boomer professed his love for Bubbles -- and comforted her as she chewed rotten shark and got sick. He also saved his brother from certain death.

Butch showed Buttercup two sides of him -- fun and smart. He saved all of them.

Buttercup fell in love with a boy as well as saved her sisters.

Read the first one if you haven't! I don't mean that you have to, I just mean that you should. It will make the sequel make more sense, and... it might be fun?

So... hope you enjoy!

QTpi935


	2. Chapter One: One Year Later

Chapter One

** A year passed since the fiasco of Einstein Island.** Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup returned to their home completely different people.

Blossom, being an inch apart from death, having fallen wildly from a cliff, came home with a new respect towards life itself. She also had discovered what it meant to be in love with someone, and the fear of losing them.

Bubbles, who had learned to use her intelligence, had saved a boy's life. If she hadn't stopped the bleeding and used her smarts to heal the wounds, her sister's boyfriend probably would not be alive today.

Buttercup had saved them all. She had found the laboratory and had saved her sister from falling to her death. She had seen an entirely new aspect to life... boys. And not just all boys, one in particular.

Though Professor had lovingly welcomed them back home, helping them to forget the traumatic vacation, the Rowdyruff Boys had been greeted rather badly.

* * *

"How could you _not _have defeated the Powerpuff Girls? You have them in the palm of your hands! The skin between your fingers! They were weak against your superior powers. And yet, they live on! Why?" 

Brick sighed. Though he had finally recovered from his many injuries, he was still being hurt emotionally. "Dad, we love them. I can't say it any clearer. We won't hurt them."

Boomer sighed as well. His injuries had been minor, and he could not get Bubbles off of his mind. "Yeah... Brick said it right. I love Bubbles."

Mojo looked furious as he turned to his final son. "Love? Love, you say? What about my third son? My tough fighter... my green wonder... my Butch?"

Butch looked directly at Mojo, leaning close to him. Eye-to-eye, Butch said, "Count me in, boys. I love Buttercup." He spat in Mojo's face. "And I'm not gonna hurt them. Ever."

Mojo boiled in anger. He paced back and forth, wondering what he should do.

"I should have never created you, stupid boys. Stupid stupid boys. You'll all pay. Get in the laboratory, now, or I'll kill you all. Son or no son. Child or no child. I'm gonna kill you all -- all of you-- all three of you will die. Get into my laboratory and I may decide to spare your very lives. Not that you are worthy in the least.You think I cannot do it? I created you. I can just as easily kill you."

Brick, Boomer, and Butch stood in denial. Death or love?

They walked slowly into the hallway. As soon as they were out of Mojo's sight, they began to talk rapidly.

"I don't wanna die!" Boomer pleaded, crying.

"Who does! Like I do?" Butch said, hitting his brother.

Brick calmed them down. "It comes down to this. Either we give up and accept defeat, killing the Powerpuff Girls forever, or... we fight back and probably die."


	3. Chapter Two: A Fateful Decision

**Chapter Two**

Mojo approached the arguing boys from behind.

"I hope you have come to a decision," he said with a snarl.

Brick, Boomer, and Butch nodded in agreement. "We... we do, all right," Brick said.

Mojo looked content. Maybe they had finally come to their senses and would do as they had originally been made to do -- destroy the Girls once and for all. He smiled. "My Boys... you have decided?"

The Boys looked at each other hesitantly. Finally, Brick stepped away from his brother, standing a few inches from Mojo. He closed his eyes wisely and said something that took Mojo's breath away.

Brick smiled and bowed his head, his cap covering his humble ruby eyes. "I love Blossom with my whole heart. If she died, my heart would break, and I would just be an empty shell you once knew as Brick... I would be a monster again."

Butch exclaimed, "We were born monsters. We have been monsters. But now it's our time to play hero."

Boomer shouted, "We still love them! Death or no death, _we'd_ rather die than _them_!"

Mojo stood in horror. A piece of his heart was astonished by these words from his own boys, and yet, his eyes reduced to slits.

"Then die you shall."

He held a ray gun in his hands. The Rowdyruff Boys looked down sadly, taking their final stand. Boomer looked directly into his father's eyes. He had nothing left to lose... so he said:

"Sorry, Dad, that it had to end this way. I know you just wanted to prove your evil to the world... and I'm sorry that we wouldn't come with you. But we love the Girls, don't you understand love? It sounds 'good', but everyone loves. I love _you_, too, Dad."

Boomer tilted his head down and again looked at the floor, bracing himself for the laser to end his short life.

Mojo put his finger on the trigger. His eyes opened, an internal war raged on in his mind. Kill these innocent boys of his, or finally get revenge on all the good things they had done?

He charged the gun, pointing it directly at Brick, the leader.

The Boys stared sadly at the floor, preparing to take their fate with honor.

"I -- I..."

Mojo Jojo stuttered and dropped the gun, falling to the floor. His purple cape covered his trembling, furry body. "Dad!" the Boys yelled, racing over to their father.

"I insist you shall pay..." Mojo hissed, causing them to back away . "But... but never like this."

* * *

Blossom sat chewing her food. Peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches -- her favorite. Bubbles sat across from her, big chunks of peanut butter dripping off her chin. Buttercup was still the messiest, half-eaten sandwiches stuck to her dress.

She stopped all of a sudden.

"Don't you think it's odd that ever since we got back there hasn't been _any_ crime from Mojo Jojo? And... why haven't we been seeing the Boys at all?"

Bubbles turned to Buttercup, swallowing her bite. "She's right. We haven't been very good girlfriends, have we..."

"I think we should visit," Blossom declared.

Buttercup, who had been quiet, yelled, "GREAT IDEA!"

Little did they know of the peril that lay in wait for them.


	4. Chapter Three: A Trap

**Chapter Three**

The Girls knocked on the front door of Mojo's Lab with smiles on their faces. "Hello," Mojo said, trying to sound innocent.

"Hi! Are the Boys in there?" Bubbles asked sweetly.

"Yeah. We wanna talk to them..."

Mojo mentally rolled his eyes. "Yes. The little cupcakes are here..."

"Great!" Blossom said excitedly, twirling her ponytail.

He sighed. "Follow me to the lab..."

Obviously, the lovestruck Girls had lost their sense of good and evil as they fell stupidly for Mojo's trick. "Where are we?" asked Blossom as they followed Mojo into a dark room. They squinted in the darkness, trying to see their surroundings. Making the Girls jump, Mojo boomed, "Step forward?"

They did.

"A little farther?"

They did.

"A _teeny_ bit more?"

Screaming, the Girls dropped into a circular hole. Laying on the floor rubbing their heads in shock, they looked up at Mojo, their eyes furious. "Let's get 'em, Girls!" shouted Blossom. They poised themselves to attack.

"Wait, wait wait," Mojo said sinisterly. "You love my Boys so much? Ha. Well, how do you like them _now_...?" He flicked on a light switch with an evil laugh. The Girls gasped in terror and fell yet again to their knees, sobbing in fright.

"Are they... dead?" whimpered Bubbles.

On each side of the trap lay an unconscious, bloody, badly beaten, and half-naked Rowdyruff Boy. Red liquids gushed from their mouths and their eyes were shut in brutal agony.

"Mojo..." Buttercup cried. "Mojo, what have you _done_?"

Boomer rolled over and choked, Butch coughed and grabbed his stomach in pain. Brick showed no movement whatsoever.

Mojo smiled wickedly. "My plan is coming full circle... Oh, look... leaderboy is coming to."

They faced Brick as he groaned. "Help us... please..." He paused and looked up at his father. "No!" Brick's eyes darted back towards Blossom, then again at Mojo. "Y-You can't..."

He gazed into Blossom's pink eyes, panicking. "Blossom. Girls -- g-get out while you st-still can..."

Buttercup froze. "Wait, what?"

They turned around, and in perfect unison, they screamed bloody murder.


	5. Chapter Four: New Perils

**Chapter Four**

The dim lights in the cage flickered on as the door in which they had fallen shut violently. They heard the lab door slam, Mojo cackling maniacally behind it. A television screen unfolded and extended itself towards them, Mojo staring in at them from it. "Girls, Boys -- You love each other, true?"

Blossom held Brick's bruised body in her hands, his head in her lap. Bubbles leaned over Boomer, sobbing. Buttercup showed no tears, but did not move, for she was in shock. "More than anything," Brick whispered, his hoarse voice crackling as the words escaped his lips.

"So be it, then... and so it shall be," Mojo said.

"I would like to play a little _game_... You all survived without super powers. But that wasn't what your nature intended to happen. So I'll make it doubly hard this time -- I have made a flawless virtual (which you will find extremely real) landscape, filled to the brim with machinery that will kill you in an instant. Only the machinery is there to act again what you would find in nature. You are going to have your super powers, but the challenges will be greater... we start today."

Buttercup screamed as loud as she could at Mojo, "But they are _hurt_!"

He laughed. "Better still!"

"You're sick," Blossom hissed.

"I know... isn't it true, though?" Mojo said. He seemed exceptionally pleased with himself.

Bubbles stroked Boomer's face, tears flowing from the ends of his closed eyes. "You wouldn't kill us..."

"Oh, wouldn't I. Ah! There is yet another hitch! Another problem, another scheme of mine which is so completely great of a hitch you will never overcome it!"

"What?"

"Only _two _couples will make it out alive."

The girls froze in their tracks. What did he mean by that?

"Either, let's say, Blossom and Brick die, or Blossom dies and so does Boomer. Therefore, two of you will not live past this day, I shall guarantee. The last to stay alive will be let out. It is all very fair."

Bubbles sobbed. "No! No! You can't do this! You'll never get away with it! You can't ruin true love, Mojo Jojo!"

Butch came to finally. "Buttercup..."

"Ah... my little Butch is alive. Now all that is left to arise is Boomer."

Bubbles whimpered.

"The game starts... _now._"

"No! Wait!" squealed Bubbles. But it was too late.

The walls around them collapsed and they were exposed to three landscapes. The one behind Brick was a snow-white mountain, icy frost stinging Blossom's eyes already, her ice breath powerless. The one behind Boomer was a hot, dusty desert... Bubbles coughed as sand got into her mouth. The one behind Butch was an ocean -- with nothing but water for miles and miles.

"This room will self-terminate in ten seconds. Quickly ask any remaining questions."

"How do we win?"

"Two of you six die."

"That's not fair!"

"Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha! Too late now."

The floor dropped, and each couple fell from their spot, being hurled into their new terrains.


	6. Chapter Five: A Whole New World

**Chapter Six**

A pair of sad eyes opened.

"Oh..." Brick said, rubbing his aching head. "W-Where am I?"

Blossom looked at him sadly. "A virtual hell that Mojo designed... Brick... You're bleeding – a lot. What happened to you?" She made a small ball of snow and put it on one of his wounds to stop the bleeding.

"Mojo –_Daddy_. He knocked us out cold and gave us a good beating..."

"It's_freezing_ out here..." Blossom remarked. "How do we break free?"

"We don't."

His ruby red eyes met her carnation pink ones. "We don't?"

"No. All we have to do is stay alive for awhile... unfortunately, _someone_has to die, don't they? We _could..."_

"Sacrifice ourselves? I'm sorry, but no. As much as I want to save the others, I want to save us too," Blossom said, rubbing her goose-bump covered arms, trying to stay warm in the cold. "You have to live. We _both_ have to live. There has to be some other way that Mojo messed up, so we can get out..."

"It's fool-proof," Brick admitted. "I mean, really. He's gotten_genius_ in the time that he stopped fighting you guys. He's cooked up this plan for over a year. There is no way he made a mistake."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. Listen," Brick said, reaching into his bloodied coat pocket. "I kept my most cherished possession in the second safest spot I know – under my bed. If... If I don't make it out of here, I want you to have it."

"Don't think like that! We're going to make it out," Blossom reassured him, "but just out of curiosity, what's the safest place you know?"

"With you."

Blossom giggled and hugged Brick, who, in pain, remained limp in her arms. They sat up and began to hobble through the snow on a quest for food or warmth. Though they did not feel it yet, the cold would eventually overwhelm them.

* * *

Boomer's head rest serenely in Bubbles's lap as she sobbed, his azure eyes shut tightly. "Please... I need you... please, wake up." She shook his head with her knees, his blond hair covering his right eye. 

"No... no, no... no..." Bubbles begged. She was all alone in the scalding heat, sand blowing into her eyes. Boomer showed no signs of waking, or even of life.

Tears dripped onto his flushed cheek and evaporated almost immediately. Bubbles needed Boomer so badly, and she herself was unstable, but he just would _not_ come to.

Obviously Mojo had done a number on poor Boomer.

Bubbles coughed. There was a sandstorm fast approaching. She tried to pick up Boomer, but the fatigue was quickly sinking in. With a cry of pain, she fell to the floor again, dropping Boomer. The sandstorm was closer now, and Bubbles began to panic.

She couldn't lift Boomer, but she couldn't leave him!

They would both die if she didn't act quickly!

* * *

Two bright green eyes darted from fish to fish under the dark blue water. Buttercup's hands snapped shut, trying to catch an unfortunate salmon, but it swam away much too quickly to be caught. 

"Darn it!" Buttercup screamed.

"You didn't think you'd catch it, did you?" Butch asked, looking smug.

"Yes, I did. And I will!"

She made an attempt to dive back down and get dinner, but Butch grabbed her arm and stopped her. "This isn't helping. We need to find land. We can't keep swimming like this, I'm already tired from being unconscious."

Buttercup sighed. "You're okay now, though, right?"

"I think so."

He showed a deep gash on his neck. "Does it look alright?"

She felt sick when she saw that it was beginning to turn green. Infection was already setting in on his injuries. "Not exactly? You're right... we do need to find land."

She had to get him out of the water and treat the infection.

"I'm hungry."

"Me too, but I think that's going to have to wait..."

"It's bad, isn't it?"

"Mm hm..."

"Then let's hurry. We might have to..."

**Author's Note: **I think I know who I'm going to kill... but I can't tell. It's a secret... Hehe


	7. Chapter Six: More Danger

**Chapter Seven**

Bubbles sobbed. Either she left Boomer and saved herself, or she played Romeo and Juliet and stayed with him until they both died. Logic and reason told her to flee and save herself, but her heart told her otherwise. In an internal struggle to be with the one she loved in death, or to keep her own life, she bawled as the sandstorm drew closer. "I – I can't lift you! I can't leave you! I... I love you."

She rested her head on his motionless chest and closed her sky blue eyes.

At least now the others would go back to reality and be saved. "This is it... Good bye, Girls. Good bye, Professor. Good bye, Townsville. Good bye, Boom–"

_**WHOOSH!**_

Bubbles assumed that the sandstorm had hit her, and she and Boomer were now reduced to nothing more than sugar and snips. She did not dare open her eyes, for fear of what she would find. She didn't feel like she had been hit by sand. She didn't feel dead, or at least it was not how she had imagined death. It wasn't dark or cold; through her eyelids she could still see daylight, and she felt... no. She couldn't be feeling...

... it felt like a warm embrace.

She opened her eyes nervously and slowly.

She nearly screamed in joy at what she saw.

She was being flown away from the raging storm by a revived Boomer. He looked determined to save their lives, though his eyes looked weak and hardly awake. She could almost feel his pain, the agony that must be in his muscles... but he flew strong and fast, not letting anything get to him. He carried Bubbles by the waist, and it felt wonderful to her. Finally, he was awake, and thank goodness.

She owed her life to him.

"B-Boomer?"

He did not reply.

"Boomer."

With each word her voice grew more stable.

"Boomer!"

His eyes met hers, and he forced a smile. The pain he must be enduring! At last, the sand died down, and Boomer eased himself to the ground. He lay Bubbles gently in the sand, and then collapsed once again, face-first, into the heat. She rolled him over so he could face her, and she began to cry yet again. "Boomer... you... saved me."

He grinned, through squinted eyes. "You're worth saving."

Boomer closed his eyes and rested, Bubbles by his side, running her fingers through his hair.

They had passed Mojo's first challenge.

* * *

Butch became very, very tired. Tired to the extent where he could no longer swim or fly. As he soared through the air, Buttercup right next to him, her eyes searching for a resting spot. She was not focusing on Butch, and almost exactly when she turned away, he fell from the air and into the water, landing with a giant splash. Buttercup raced after him, screaming his name. He lay in the water, his eyes closed, limp as the virtual water rocked him back and forth.

She swam down and grabbed him, starting to panic. Was he dead? She swam upwards and hurried to revive Butch.

As she reached the surface, she gasped for air. "Butch! Butch, are you okay?"

Butch couged and spat some water out. "I... I don't think so," he replied softly. "It hurts..." He turned his head to the side and exposed the infected wound.

Buttercup gasped in horror and held her hands to her mouth. The green area had grown larger, blended in with the red of the blood, creating a sickly color. The smell was of rotting flesh, and Butch already was extremely weak.

"Buttercup... Am I going to die?"

"No. No! You can't after all we've been through," Buttercup pleaded. "No... no, you won't. We're gonna find someplace for us to go and make you better, okay?"

He nodded. "But... where?"

* * *

Finally, through hours of flying through the barren, icy wasteland, Brick and Blossom found a patch of green – an oasis in the frozen water. Immediately, Blossom dropped to the floor to examine closer. "Mushrooms!" she squealed. She licked her lips. "Dinner." Brick looked unsure, and stayed far away from the odd-colored fungi.

"I don't really think that eating that is such a good idea," he said, tilting his head to the side. "I know you're hungry, but... If there's anything I've learned from living with Mojo, is not to eat things that don't seem right. And what's more wrong than mushrooms in the snow?"

Blossom scoffed. "Speak for yourself. Do you have any idea how hungry I am? Maybe we just discovered a new fungus. Maybe it's not planted by Mojo as a trap."

"Maybe it's not? How much you want to bet it is?" Brick yelled. "Don't eat it!"

"Oh, be quiet. It looks just fine."

With that, Blossom plucked the largest of the mushrooms from the soil and put it in her mouth.

You can only imagine that Brick had been correct.

It messed with her vision – she saw two of _ everything_, which is also to say, two of _ Brick_. The mushroom was tainted in other ways than simple poisons. No, it got the idea of killing Brick into her mind. Her subconscious whispered to her:

"See? Two Bricks. This must be one of Mojo's evil plans to kill you and your true love. Don't fall for it – kill Brick!"

"B-But which one?" asked Blossom, confused.

"The one who is the fake, of course," the voice whispered.

"But which one is that!"

Brick looked at Blossom, who was now talking to herself, and put his head angrily to his forehead. "I told her not to..."

"Ask them one question. Whoever gets it wrong must die."

Blossom nodded. She was good at finding who was the real who. But Mojo was better at mind games.

"I have a question for both of you," Blossom said, looking at Brick and at the Brick who was standing next to him. "If you answer right you live. If you don't, well, you die." She smirked and her eyes glowed red. This was precisely when the real Brick realized that he was actually in danger.

"Brick #1," she said, facing one of the Bricks.

"Yes?" he replied back.

"Where would you go to avoid me right now and be safe?"

"Hm. The safest place, like I told you already, is under my bed. That's where I keep my most treasured possession."

Blossom smiled and ran to him, hugging him sweetly. "I knew it was you..." Brick smiled back.

"We know each other so well, don't we?" he asked. Blossom nodded, her head rested on his shoulder, giggling as if she was truly in love. All of a sudden, she thrust her fist with all her force into his face, breaking his skull and instantly killing him.

Oh, no... Had Mojo succeeded in his plan?

Blossom smiled and laughed and ran to the real Brick. "The safest place," she said, holding him tightly, her eyes normal, "is with me. Remember?"

He nodded, in shock of what had just happened. Now, the carcass of the false Brick that only Blossom had been able to see was now in plain sight. He had been so close to death... and he hadn't even know it.

"Damn you Mojo," he whispered, Blossom's arms wrapped around him. "Trying to kill your own sons?"


	8. Chapter Seven: An Echoing Scream

**Chapter Seven **

**Author's Note: **Sorry it's short. Exceptionally busy few months. So, uh, I hope it's okay for now. More coming soon!

* * *

"We're going to get you safe, I promise," Buttercup cried, tears falling onto Butch's pale face. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. You'll be fine!" Though she spoke to Butch, she knew that she was really only trying to comfort herself. She flew past miles and miles of water, sobbing, a little pale streak of light left behind her.

"There's no land _anywhere!_" she screamed, stopping suddenly, Butch's limp body outstretched in her arms. Her lip quivered and she closed her eyes. "_**Ahh**_!" She let her voice pierce the night sky, and for the entire distance, all that could be heard was her sad echoing plea for help. She was completely alone, and in her arms was a dying boy.

She felt pathetic and helpless, watching the waves beneath her crash into each other, praying and hoping for a small island, at least, so she could rest Butch down and try to heal his wounds. She herself felt tired and weak, but she could not stop. No. She couldn't stop, and if it was Butch's time to die in this awful place, then it was.

But she was not going to let him go without a fight.

* * *

Brick held Blossom tightly in his arms. She was going through the spasms that her snow-mushrooms were causing. He knew that she was going to get better, but she was shaking terribly. A cold sweat was pouring down her back, and she had her eyes shut tightly. Brick looked up at the virtual night sky, he himself shivering in the snow.

The stars, he thought, were beautifully designed. Probably the only thing Mojo had designed intentionally to be lovely.

He was so thirsty... all of a sudden, he had it! A perfect way to stay warm _and_ drink plentifully. He placed Blossom down gently in the snow and flew up about four feet in the air. He looked directly at Blossom and began to draw a laser-beam circle around her body. Carefully and slowly, he melted all of the snow around her until she dropped into a pool of hot water. A sweet smile spread across her face as the heat spread through her body.

He removed his shirt and his pants, to keep his clothes dry when they had to leave the water, and joined Blossom. It was heavenly...

"B-Brick," she said, facing him. "Am I okay yet?"

"I think so. And if not, you're going to be."

"Soon?"

"Yeah."

They kissed, and Blossom fell asleep on his shoulder.

* * *

Boomer opened one eye as he panted, still exhausted from his unexpected revival. Bubbles grinned and stroked his face, wiping away beads of sweat. "How are you feeling?"

"So-so. How about you? You feeling okay?"

"I'm alright. A little hungry, but I'm fine."

"Good... good."

A few moments went by and Boomer caught his breath and sat up, his teal eyes meeting hers. No words were spoken, and yet, in those short moments, _everything_ was said.


	9. Chapter Eight: Healing the Wounds

**Chapter Eight**

Blossom opened her eyes and felt fresh and invigorated. She looked around at her surroundings and was slightly bewildered. What on earth was she doing in a hot tub in the snow? She looked up and saw Brick, asleep, his head resting on hers. It was daybreak already, and the sun was coming up over the mountains. Clouds parted and moved with the wind.

She truly felt like she was at home, and at one with life.

Brick's eyes slowly opened as well. "Hey," he muttered, lifting his head and wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Mornin'."

Blossom smiled. "How was your sleep?"

"Strange. Mojo didn't try to pull anything... at least he had the decency to not --" Blossom hushed him. She pointed to the sky.

"You know, this is going to sound strange, considering Mojo made everything we see and feel, and nothing here is real... but... I've never felt like I really belonged anywhere before, and now... Now no one can judge me, like the citizens of Townsville first did when they saw me. All the worries of saving people. There, I was _Blossom_. Here, I just... _am_," she sighed and watched the clouds pass.

They sat and watched the sun rise above the mountain peaks.

After awhile, Blossom said, "I bet you think I'm weird. But thanks so much for just letting me enjoy that. Now we can go get food, or at least try to find some." Brick nodded, hopped out of the puddle, and got his dry clothes on.

Blossom emerged from the water, only to be met with an icy chill. It was _dreadful._ It felt as if something had knocked the wind right out of her, and made her whole body numb. She looked around for some dry clothes to warm her up only to come to the realization that she had none.

"What's wrong?" asked Brick, wrapping his arms around Blossom as she shivered furiously.

"I-I'm f-fre-fr-freezing," she whimpered, putting her head on his shoulder. "B-Bu-But I'm s-so h-hungry, I'm g-going to f-faint."

Brick was afraid. "You get back in the puddle. I'll heat it up again, and try to find food --" Blossom climbed into the water immediately, just so that she could speak clearly and hold back her shivers.

"You can't just leave. If we can't find each other again, it doesn't matter if I'm warm and you're full. We'll be separated. Think about it -- We have to stay together to survive. You've already saved my life, and I intend to return the favor," Blossom said. "I have to come with you. Cold or not, we _have_ to stay together. And we can't just sit here and starve."

Brick opened his mouth to argue, but shut it again because he knew she was right. There was no way of avoiding the fact that they needed each other. And they needed food.

"Okay..."

Blossom nodded, and dragged herself again from the water. She was numbed immediately. They had no idea what the temperature was, but it was at a superhuman extreme. She ran quickly to keep herself from falling into that deep, long sleep that her body ached for.

They ran for what seemed like hours, and then, suddenly, Blossom fell to the snow below her and lay lifeless.

But Brick did not notice.

* * *

Buttercup had been flying all night long, her arms burning in pain from carrying Butch. The sun had come up over the ocean, making a beautiful sight, but it was blurred, to her, by her tears. Still, there was no sign anywhere of land.

Her eyes darted madly across the water, her vision impaired by the glare. It seemed hopeless... she should give up.

Wait... what was that? She stopped all of a sudden and looked back at a spot of ocean. Had she really seen what she thought she had?

"B-Butch," she whispered, shaking him awake. "Butch. Butch, look!" She grinned through her sobs and flew down. Sure enough, her eyes had not failed her. There was a very small patch of land below her.

Swooping down and placing Butch gently on the warm sand, Buttercup lay on her back and got the rest she so truly needed. But the peace was short lived. Butch was still suffering from an infection, and she couldn't just leave him to die. She had to snap into action and help, no matter how exhausted she was.

She knew it would hurt him, but she began to clean away the green area on his skin. The bacteria was going to hurt him in the long run, so the least she could do was hurt him now to help. Buttercup knew absolutely nothing about how to treat an infected injury, so the best she could do was guess.

With a mixture of sand and her own saliva, she scrubbed away the bacteria cells and coated the wound with a layer of hot sand. The sand stuck to the blood, and prevented any further infection.

It wasn't a very good remedy, she admitted, but it would have to do. There was nothing else she _could_ do.

* * *

Bubbles wandered around the desert, as if she were lost, Boomer trailing slowly behind her. They had both been given temporary relief with the coolness of night, but now the sun was up and already blazing. It was obviously still early in the morning, yet Bubbles and Boomer were sweating profusely.

"I... I hope that there's some shade up ahead," Boomer said. _Rationally,_he thought, _there is no shade up ahead. We're just walking to our deaths._

"I hope there's water," Bubbles sighed, her mouth dry. She wished Blossom was here with her... she had ice breath. She could made everything feel good again. She could make water. She could save everything...

Boomer looked to the sky. "It's just gonna get hotter, Bubbles. Are you sure you want to keep walking? There's not going to just be, say, a water hole. Our best bet is a cactus, to be honest. And even that's a long shot. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there just isn't too much hope for us right now." He paused and cocked his head to the side. What was Bubbles doing? "Um... where are you headed? Bubbles. Bubbles!"

She had taken off, half-flying, half-sprinting across the hot sand. She could see water! Beautiful, shiny, streaming water... and it was everywhere. Tons and tons of it, the answer to all of their problems!

"Boomer, hurry! There's water!"

There was a deep oasis, an ocean almost, of nothing but glimmering water. It was a beautiful sight, and she raced towards it as fast as she could. "STOP!" Boomer screamed from behind her. But she paid no attention. There was _water_. Why did he want her to stop?

All of a sudden, she felt her face in the sand and weight on her back. She rolled on her side and realized that Boomer had jumped on top of her. She writhed underneath him and screamed, "Boomer! There's _water_! Get off me!"

"Shut up, it's a mirage!" he yelled back. He rolled off her back and grabbed her by the shoulders, whirling her around to face the "water".

It was deep, alright. It was a canyon of nothing but dusty, red sand.


	10. Chapter Nine: Calm Before the Storm

**Author's Note:** **Sorry to interrupt! Sorry, but I just wanted to know... tough question, but who WOULD you choose to be killed, if you COULD choose? You may (or may not, don't be disappointed if your choice doesn't get... uh... it) but I'm not quite sure yet who dies next. I've already picked who dies first though :(****  
**

**Chapter 9**

"Did you know," Bubbles said, smiling, recovered from her mirage incident, "that desert animals get their water from the things they eat? That's how they stay alive. They eat cactus." She smiled and wondered if Mojo had designed any tasty, juicy cacti or desert animals.

Suddenly, and almost ironically, Bubbles screamed. "Ow! Something bit me!" She lifted her foot to find that she had stepped on something. She was now crying her poor blue eyes out.

Boomer soothed her by saying, "Bubbles... you stepped on a cactus."

She burst into laughter. "Really? Awesome!" It still hurt, but not as much. They used their laser vision to burn through the thick skin of the cactus and drank its liquids.

"Mm... that was really refreshing," Bubbles said. "Obviously, here when you hurt your foot, it's a good thing." She giggled.

"Heh. Yeah, I guess."

They kept walking, now refreshed. There was really nothing else _to_ do, now that they felt good. Mojo had no other sick plans to destroy them, for now -- or so it seemed.

Suddenly, and almost ironically, Boomer screamed. "Ah!" He doubled over in pain, grasping his foot. It was agonizing pain. Bubbles rushed to his side to see what was wrong.

She screamed at what she saw.

There, in the sand, scurrying away from its victim, was a scorpion.

"B-Bubbles," he said, whimpering, tears falling from his eyes. "Help me."

She burst into tears, but knew what she had to do to keep the poison from spreading. She lifted his foot and began to suck away all the venom.

* * *

Blossom's face had turned an icy shade of blue, still collapsed in the snow. Brick had been walking approximately twenty feet, and had not realized that Blossom's life was slowly slipping away. He wasn't even aware she was gone. "Hey, Blos -" He looked around. "Blossom? Um... Blossom!" He began to panic, flying high into the air. But he didn't have to search very far to find her. There she was, suffering terribly from hypothermia, passed out in the snow. "Blossom!" he shouted, crying. He shook her awake, and she squinted her eyes. 

Immediately she got up, almost as if she were ashamed to have passed out, and brushed the snow from her hair and clothes. "I want to keep going. I just... got... tired. And I fell. Let's keep walking."

"No way! You're going to die."

"I know myself better than you do, Brick. And I know that I don't have to..." she stopped mid-sentence and looked as if she were going to collapse again.

But Brick knew better. She would freeze to death before her clothes dried, superpowers or not.

"Please, Blossom... just, please. You're going to die if you don't get back in the water. Please let me make you another puddle?"

"No. No, no!" she pleaded, delusional from the hypothermia.

"Yes." He fired a beam at the snow under her feet and she immediately sank into the warmth. "You won't survive without it. I'm sorry we couldn't find food, but we're just gonna have to --"

"Starve?"

Her eyes were wild with hunger. For a moment, Brick was afraid. Blossom looked around, her pupils small. "I haven't eaten in two days, Brick. I'm so hungry I could..."

She eyed one of her hands calmly. She drew closer to it, and opened her mouth. Brick was well aware of what she was about to do.

In one moment, Brick had flown across the water and yanked Blossom's hand away from her mouth. "You're crazy! We're not going to _eat_ ourselves" -- she looked at _him_ and licked her lips -- "OR each other! We are going to hold it together. Cannibalism? Really! Blossom, think about it. We are fighting for our lives here, and you want to eat your hand?"

"It's tempting," she spat.

"I know. I'm just as hungry as you. But you just _can't_."

Blossom put her hands under her legs to resist. "You're right... cannibalism's a bit extreme. But I'm _so_ hungry, Brick. You just don't know. You can't be so calm if you're as hungry as me, I mean, dang, _two days_ --"

"Three days," he hissed. "Three."

She sank back, amused. He'd won. Hey, if _he _could carry on and find food and stay alive, so could she.

He was so strong. He inspired her... what would she do if he died?

* * *

Butch opened his eyes slowly. Under himself, he felt warmth -- and land. No longer did the waves rock him back and forth, his balance lost. It was so nice to feel land again. Above him, they sky was blue and beautiful. To his left, there was a small grove of trees. And to his right sat Buttercup, crying. 

"H-Hey," he said, forcing a smile. "You saved me."

"It's what me and my sisters do," she said in reply. "How's that leg feeling?"

"Not good, if that's what you mean," he said. "But at least I'm conscious now, so you must be doing _something_ right."

She laughed. "I got some crab meat over a fire, if you want any." Sure enough, on a stick, she had used her laser vision to burn some bark from a tree. It smelled delicious.

"I already had my share, so you can pig out if you like," she said with a chuckle. She put out the fire and handed him the burnt stick. "Eat up. There's still no fresh water to drink, but I think that's going to be okay, don't you? I mean, think about it. If we've gotten this far, we can figure _something_ out."

"Mm hm," he said, ripping open the skin of the crab and biting the meat. "I haven't told you this in awhile, but... I love you."

"Y-You too," Buttercup said, slightly surprised. "You know, this whole stranded in a virtual hell isn't quite fun, but I'm glad I got to spend this time with you. And I'm glad you're not dead. Your wounds are pretty bad, though... can you walk?"

He put the stick in the sand and tried to stand. He cried out in pain and fell face first back onto the ground.

"I guess not," he mumbled.


	11. Chapter Ten: Til Death Do Us Part

**Author's Note: **If you like this story, then this is definitely one chapter you'll HAVE to read to understand the rest of the story. Plus, this moves the plot along... :( I'm sorry to all of you who were dreading this chapter. (**Warning:** I may make some minor adjustments later on, so if this chapter is removed and reposted, you know why)

Again, I apologize. Read on to find out why... T-T

**Chapter Ten**

Awhile had passed since they had eaten the crab, and Butch and Buttercup were feeling better. Alas, though, nothing can truly be peaceful when you are trying to be killed. Again, they were thirsty beyond belief.

"I have to search for some fresh water," Buttercup said, looking at Butch. "We can only go so long without it, you know."

Butch nodded.

"Buttercup, you know I can't get up. Chances are that I can't fly, either. I can hardly even move! You and I both need water. Sure, it would be nice to stay together and all, but you're going to have to leave me here and bring something back. We don't have a choice in it if we want to stay alive."

"But I can't just _leave_ you here, can I? I mean, what if something happened to you?"

"Then something happens to me, and we'll be one death closer to the finish line," he said solemnly. "But, hey, look at the bright side. _You'll_ still be alive. And even if I die, I'll always be with you. You know that." A tear fell from his eye, but he wiped it away furiously. He was still Butch -- he didn't like showing sensitivity, and he _loathed_ it when people saw him crying, especially Buttercup.

Silently, Buttercup nodded and stood up. Filled with the guilt of leaving a helpless Butch to fend for himself, she turned away from him and slowly began to walk. _Don't look back_, she thought to herself, knowing she'd fall apart._ Don't say anything. You'll only want to stay. You'll cry...__Don't do it. It's better not to..._

But she did.

* * *

Boomer was once again laying on his back in excruciating pain. Bubbles had done all she could to help the poison, but it still wasn't good enough. He wouldn't die, she thought, because there wasn't much poison left -- but the venom still there was completely damaging, and would not go away easily. 

Now, more than ever, they _needed_ water. And desperately.

Boomer tried to sit up, but Bubbles pushed him down again. "Each time you try that, you just lower your energy. You need to conserve it," she begged, her eyes pleading. She knew that his getting up was a hopeless effort.

"D-Do you think they're alive?" he asked, his eyes watering as they blankly stared out into the nothingness. "Three of them are still alive, h-hopefully f-four. Do you think i-it'll be your sister, o-or my brother? Y-You think it'll b-be us?" He seemed to ask her things he knew perfectly well she couldn't answer in this awful state.

"That's it!" Bubbles screamed, beating her hands against the sand, sending waves across the barren landscape. "I'm going to get water and help you. This can't end like this, all right? Don't even try to stop me, 'cause you won't be able to. I'll be back soon, you just hold on, okay?"

Boomer nodded.

She flew across the sky, a new energy powering her. She flew faster than she could ever remember flying before, the sand and rocks blurred in their sameness. Her heart was pounding in her chest as if it were about to explode. She was going to find water and help save Boomer!

After a few hours, nothing seemed to make sense. Everything was blurry and breathing was hard to do. She had not slowed from her fiery pace, and it was killing her. She began to writhe uncontrollably as she fell from the air.

You know how when you're superhuman, it takes a lot more to hurt you? Well, the opposite goes that way as well. When something _does_ hurt you when you're superhuman, the effect is a _lot_ worse.

So being a superhuman having a heat stroke in the middle of a desert by herself really isn't good.

* * *

Blossom cherished the moment. She was ignoring her hunger, and enjoying just spending time with Brick. They were watching the sun set now, in another pool of warm water. No doubt they were still starved, but they had decided to rest for the night. Brick had his arm wrapped around her, and she had never had a feeling so nice. And under such odd circumstances... 

As the sun was about to go down, Brick said, "You know, I'm feeling a little jumpy. I think I'm going to take a little walk." Blossom was puzzled.

"A... walk? Why?"

He nodded, got his clothes back on, and told her he'd be back soon and wouldn't go too far away.

Brick wanted to spend time with Blossom, yes; but he also wanted to see the full extent of Mojo's imagination. Mojo _was_ a brilliant monkey, whether or not he wanted to admit it just yet. But he was, and he had designed some really amazing things. And this next place was one of them.

He reached a valley, almost, where on on wall the snow piled up to a mountain that was ten times Brick's size. On the other side of the ridge was an area of land that seemed to curve downwards. He stepped into the area with caution -- who knew what kinds of danger lay here? His mind irked him to turn back, but his curiosity got a hold of him.

His movements cracked the snow beneath his feet as they sank into it -- deep. Little did poor Brick know, but this peaceful five-minute walk was in itself one of Mojo's traps.

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch-crunch. Crunch. __**Crack!**_ Brick looked up towards the tall side of the ridge in utter shock, only to see the snow from the top of the peak hurdling towards him at light speed, almost like a white, cold wave. The shock of the avalanche kept him from using his common sense, and instead of flying upwards and out of the way, which would have saved his life, he screamed, "Blossom!"

In seconds, _nothing_. Absolutely nothing. Nothing but freezing cold ice piled on top of him -- and the inability to move, breathe, or think.

By the time Blossom got there and dug him out using her laser vision, screaming and crying, it was too late.

Brick was dead.

**I'm very, very sorry. RIP. (don't stop reading, things will get better ;) ) **


	12. Chapter Eleven: Eaten Alive

**Author's Note: **If any of you know me, you'll know that I never end with an unhappy ending... So keep that in mind for later.

**Chapter Eleven**

(says in an electronic voice, addressed to anyone listening who wants to know: )

**Due to Mojo Jojo's compassionate and understanding brilliance, **_Blossom Utonium_**, has been removed from the world of virtual peril due to the fact that her partner **_Brick Jojo_** has been defeated. She will be placed in a frozen paralysis without thought until released when the game has been completed.**

**This has been a message courtesy of Mojo Jojo.**

Blossom lay unconscious as she floated above the puppy dog tails that were all that was left of Brick. There was a stream of tears coming from her eyes.

* * *

Butch sat in the warm sand, waiting. There was really nothing to worry about, and Buttercup would be back soon with everything they needed. He watched the clouds as they passed by. Warm, happy -- noticeably less pain, as well. He was completely unaware of his brother's grim fate.

He relaxed, understanding that it would probably take Buttercup awhile to get everything. He didn't expect to doze off, but of course -- he did. It was a good sleep... completely stress-free and painless.

That was, painless until he woke up.

A tiny bite made him scream as he woke up. "What was _that_?" he yelled, his eyes searching for the cause of the small, painful pinch. On his stomach stood a little red ant, its eyes meeting his in an odd moment. "Oh. It was that _thing_," he said, snickering. He slowly moved his arm to squish it, but instead it bit him yet again.

"Ow! Geez!" he screamed, wincing. He looked back at the ant, but it was gone. He breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that that was all the biting he would receive in one day. Ants were annoying.

As he closed his eyes to fall asleep again, there came an odd sensation on his legs. It was like they were being... tickled. He opened his green eyes again, only to gasp in horror.

There were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of tiny red ants crawling up his legs from the sand. He tried to make a forcefield around himself, but it was no use -- they stomped through and began to tear away at his flesh.

He cried out in pain as dozens of small fangs drove through his skin. He tried to lift himself, but he fell to the ground. He tried to fly, but he was pinned down. He could do nothing.

"Ah! Stop! Buttercup, help me!" he screamed, crying as they began to crawl up towards his torso. "Please! Buttercup! Come back!"

Blood began to stain the sand as each pore of his skin was ripped off. They moved closer and closer to his head, and he began to panic entirely. "Buttercup!" he screamed in a fury, wriggling his body in agony. It was like having hundreds of needles drilled into his skin.

He was literally being eaten alive.

"Buttercup! Buttercup! Buttercu --" They swarmed over his face and he was silenced.

* * *

It had been quite a few hours since Bubbles had left, and Boomer was beginning to worry. What if something had happened? Sure, he trusted her, but... the sun was about to set, and things were going to get really cold _really_ fast. He had to find her.

A few miles from there, Bubbles lay limply in the sand. She could not find her voice as she tried to scream "help". When her voice emerged from her throat, it crackled and was hardly audible. Her arm was twisted, broken, and obviously of no use to her. She cried, wishing she hadn't gone so far without thinking of how things would play out in the end.

Maybe she'd die, alone, afraid, and with Boomer dying on the other end of the desert. Maybe they'd both die...

She lifted herself weakly into the air, squinting her eyes against the hot sun. She would be doomed if she didn't try to help herself. What on earth had just happened, and why was she so completely desperate for water? Why was everything spinning...

She floated in the air without motion, not knowing what to do next. Where had she come from? Where was Boomer? Where... where was _she_?

Boomer felt a lot better now, and Bubbles had helped him. The poison was very quickly wearing off, and so he took off into the air, staying relatively close to the ground so he could see her in case she _had_ fallen.

And after awhile, he saw her in mid-air, looking like she was lost. He knew, even from afar, that there was something very wrong.


	13. Chapter Twelve: Last Dance

**Author's Note:** It's really up for grabs, who's gone next. Haven't made up my mind yet... But notice that both the scenarios are pretty similar. Anyway, enjoy!

**Chapter Twelve**

Buttercup picked up some empty coconut shells from the ground below. She had found a grove of fruit trees -- really, really lucky. She scooped up some of the fresh river water she had gotten from the small stream that passed in the middle of the area, balancing each shell neatly on her arms. There were lots of berries around, too -- delicious, compared to what they _had_ been eating. It had been awhile, but Buttercup couldn't think of anything wrong that could happen now. Everything seemed to be going their way. Maybe they could live like this forever, and no one would die? She would miss her sisters a lot, but she'd rather be separated from them than dead.

_"Buttercup! Buttercup! Bu --"_

She looked up suddenly. Oh, no... what was that? "Butch?" she called back. No reply. "Butch? Butch? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Still no answer. She let the shells drop to the floor as she raced back towards him in a panic. "Butch! Butch, answer me!" She flew across the island, her heart pounding with complete fear and her mind racing with horrid theories of what could have happened to him...

She landed roughly on the shore next to him and immediately screamed hysterically at the sight. "Oh, gosh, Butch! Oh, no!" She used her laser vision to slowly burn them off of his skin, at the same time ripping them from him with her bare hands, tears streaming down her face. "Butch! Look what they _did_ to you... how could this happen?" She sobbed, wondering if he _could_ answer. Was he dead?

Buttercup violently squashed or killed each murderous ant until she fell to the floor in a heap beside Butch. He barely answered her, his lips bleeding, a layer or two of skin completely ripped from his body. Muscle and even areas of bone shown through small patches of skin. It was a truly vile sight, but Buttercup ignored the urge to vomit. The smell in itself, of exposed flesh, was revolting... Instead, she just cried. Cried and pleaded for him to answer her. She could not hug him, or even touch him, if she wanted him alive.

"Butch... please... do _something_._ Anything_ to tell me that you're still with me..."

"Bu...tter... cup..." he mumbled. She gasped and winced at the same time, feeling relief at his words and pain at his agony.

"Stay with me... come on, stay with me... those damn ants are gone..."

"Please... kill me... it's not worth it... the pain... is... just unbearable... it's as if I'm literally in hell... everything burns, or hurts." He paused, catching his breath. "I love you... but... please, if you love me back, even just a little..." He gasped for air and continued. "Please... just kill me... it'll save you, and end my misery... please... please, kill me..."

She sobbed. "I can't! Butch, it can't end like this! Don't give up on me..."

"Please..."

* * *

Suddenly, as if shot from the air, Bubbles collapsed into a little blue pile in the sand. Boomer, who darted after her, shouted, "Hey! _Hey!_ I'm here! I'm right _here_!" She peered out of one eye at him as he leaned over her lovingly. She smiled at him, her pupils smaller than they had ever been.

"I know you..." she said, her voice frail. "You're the boy I really like... Boomer... Boomer, thank goodness it's you." It seemed as if she had temporarily forgotten who he was...

He laughed nervously at her comment, trying to assure her that things were okay. They weren't. He lifted her and rested her head gently on his lap. Something had obviously happened to her... but what? Maybe one of Mojo's nasty tricks? Oh, this was all his fault. If he had just watched where he was walking, or maybe convinced her to stay with him instead of going it alone... Oh, if only she had stayed, maybe she wouldn't be in this state. But what was wrong with her? He couldn't tell exactly.

"I... I can't see you," she said, squinting towards the sky. "Everything's getting darker and darker... And you're face is starting to get all... bleerbly." Last time Boomer checked, this was not a word at all. Ironically, now it was _Bubbles_ who was in need of the aid and water.

"What happened, can you remember anything?" Boomer said, wiping the hair from her eyes.

She cocked her head in thought. Her breathing was seriously irregular, as if inhaling from the mouth and exhaling from the nose. She was having difficulties... "Everything got _so hot_," she said, moving her arm to wipe the sweat from her brow. She missed and her arm flailed helplessly. "It was terrible... I was going so fast... I couldn't stand it." She looked bewildered and in pain.

"Boomer, I hate to be... annoying... but, I'm so... thirsty."

Bubbles was turning very pale. Scary pale. Boomer started to panic, shaking her as if it would help her. "Bubbles... Bubbles, stick with me here..." She smiled faintly, her mouth drooping open as she gasped pointlessly for air. She opened her eyes again, and said one last thing to him that made any sense whatsoever:

"If I don't get water... Boomer... it's going to be game over for me..."

* * *

Mojo sat in a chair, watching the game unfold from a small screen. He couldn't help but feel bad for them... it was, after all, his offspring, his children, and their girlfriends. Whether or not they deserved it... he had already lost his favorite and most leader-ly son. Was it really fair to kill more?

"What are you saying, what are you implying, you stupid monkey?" he spoke to himself angrily. "That you should just call off your idea, your revenge? Are you going soft, Mojo...?"

He sat with a puzzled look on his face.

"Am I going soft on my own plan, my own creation?"

He looked back to the screen. Tears. Pain. Sorrow. Mourning. And that was all... "No," he said, grimacing. "I shall finish what I have started!" With that, he stood up and laughed maniacally.

* * *


	14. Chapter Thirteen: Glass Half Empty

**Author's Note: **At first, when I wrote this chapter, I kept rewriting the end because, bluntly, I couldn't bring myself to do the deed. I didn't think that it was right to have something that sad, again. But this is the way the story goes, and I can't change it. And so, for the second time, I apologize.

Please read on, and spare a review to give your feedback.

**Chapter Thirteen**

Buttercup sat making patterns in the sand, tears dropping to the ground. She could not _kill_ him. Murder was one thing. Murder was something she had committed many times to various monsters trying to destroy Townsville. But murder in this way was so sick, so wrong. She could not do it, no matter how much Butch pleaded with her. Finally, he had passed out where he lay, his dark green eyes vacantly staring out into nothingness.

She had done nothing to help his wounds. Blood gushed out from each pore in his body -- there was nothing she _could_ do but to wait solemnly until his death. He wouldn't survive more than six hours, at most. It truly was a ghastly sight -- a straight vision of pure red and green. Dirt coated his bloodied face, and if his chest had not been moving up and down, she would not have even guessed that he was alive.

She needed the game to end. Now.

She looked up thoughtfully at the sky. What would life be like without Butch? What would life be like without her sisters... Buttercup had never thought of this, but the game would end just the same if both of _them_ died. She'd be an only child...

Suddenly, an amazingly perfect idea sprung into her mind. "Butch," she said, leaning towards him. "Butch, I know you can't hear me. But I'm going to tell you anyway. Antidote X is the equivalent of sodium, water, and blood. Professor once told me... thank goodness I remembered. If I can get some water from the ocean, mixed with your blood, I can make enough Antidote X to remove some Chemical X from me and transfer it to you. That should keep you alive, because it's what we're made of... it's crazy, I know, but it's not like we have many other options." She smiled weakly.

After collected the needed ingredients, Buttercup took a sharp ended stick from the ground and drew a line across her skin, leaving blood. Now that her flesh had been cut, it would be easier to drain out the Antidote X from her body.

She poured the mixture onto the gash in her arm and gasped in pain. It burned as if she had just put magma onto it. She quickly pressed the wound against Butch's body, and she felt her energy being drained. The color began to return to his face. Chemical X was slowly being transferred into him, and it was obviously saving him. His skin was growing back, and his eyes returned to how they had been. He was alive!

She ripped cloth from her dress and wrapped it around her cut. He looked at her, felt a new energy, and smiled. He kissed her passionately, placing his hands on her face. She kissed back forcefully, wrapping her arms behind his back. Once again, they were united.

* * *

Bubbles was fading. Not visibly -- it was slow and painful, but Boomer saw it. Bubbles's sentences weren't making sense, and she had a strange look in her eyes that just didn't seem right. Sweat was pouring down her face, and her mouth hung open dryly, gasping for the air which did not seem to reach her lungs. Boomer sobbed helplessly, grasping at his own chest as if it would help _her_ to breathe.

She panted, closing her eyes in the quiet agony. Her head tilted to the side, and it seemed as if she were quickly losing consciousness. Boomer feared the worst -- if he let her go to sleep now, she would never wake up again. Then he would never live his dream, or have that wonderful pleasure of hearing her say "I do".

He shook her violently. "Bubbles... Bubbles, don't leave me. Don't ever leave me. You have to stay with me, always!" he exclaimed, her body being flailed back and forth by his worried hands. "Please... you're going to stay with me, aren't you? Don't leave me!"

"Never..." she murmured, a smile spreading across her face. "Never leaving you..."

Tears fell rapidly down his cheeks. "No... no, don't go... just a little while longer!"

She leaned upwards, kissing Boomer. He held her in his arms to lessen the strain on her... kissing her as if this would save her, that this would ease her enormous pain.

They stayed that way -- kissing so lovingly, so gently that it almost felt as if nothing else mattered but their love, the ever burning passion that fueled them to continue on in their journey to safety, and that love was the only thing that they needed to stay alive together, forever -- until Boomer dropped Bubbles into the sand beneath them and realized that she was lifeless in his arms.

Bubbles was dead.

**RIP our second deceased one... there is a happy ending awaiting you, too...**


	15. Chapter Fourteen: Return to the Lab

**Author's Note:** Still waiting for that happy ending. Maybe it should be a tragedy instead?

**Chapter Fourteen**

The virtual environments flickered and then went dim. Slowly, they faded away. Blossom awoke from her sleep, landing on the floor with a _crash_! She squinted her pink eyes and whined in pain. She looked around. Back in the real world. Maybe it had all been just a dream. A very bad dream. Maybe Brick was still alive? But when she saw the pile of puppy dog tails that was all that remained of him, she knew that it was not so.

Boomer lay sprawled out on the floor looking dazed and wide-eyed. He was bruised, dirty, and utterly confused, a thick stream of tears pouring down his face -- a truly pitiful sight.

Butch and Buttercup looked around and immediately began counting their loved ones. Who had survived? _"Blossom! Thank goodness..."_ Buttercup thought, smiling. "_Oh, no... Brick is missing. Butch won't be too happy about that. Wait a second. That's Boomer. Then the second death must have been --"_

Before she could finish her thought, a flash of dark green spewed across the room. Mojo! Butch had grabbed him by the fur on his neck, beating his bck and forth with every ounce of energy that remained in him. Blood was being spilled this way and that, and Mojo begged for mercy. Butch screamed in a fury with each hit.

"Damnit, Mojo!" he yelled, drop-kicking him to the corner of the room, where Mojo lay in a whimpering heap. "If you don't bring back the two that died, I _will kill you_, I _swear_! I will rip out your intestines, and then beat you until you go numb and won't be able to move for the rest of your life, and then I'll tear out your eyes, and then I'll -- I'll... then I'll --" Butch suddenly broke down from his rage and collapsed onto the floor, sobbing. He beat a fist against the ground violently. "_Why_, Mojo?! Damnit! Why?"

Buttercup, who was still crying, crawled over to her counterpart and hugged him tightly, hushing him and assuring him that everything would be all right.

Boomer, who was beginning to shake off the shock, immediately burst into tears. He did nothing but sit there and bawl, cradling himself in the fetal position.

Blossom, who was also beginning to recall the past events, promptly stood up and sighed. Brick was really gone. So was Bubbles. Tears filled her eyes, and she wiped them away sorrowfully.

Mojo leaned weakly upwards from his position. He snarled sinisterly at them all. "I see I've lost my leader-boy and that little blond crybaby." He chuckled remorsefully before falling backwards again. He murmured to himself, "Revenge never does feel quite the way you hope it will..."

"But... but you _can_ bring them back, can't you?" asked a soft voice. It was Blossom. "Death can be reversed, can't it? You can fix everything, can't you?"

There was such a tone of purity in her voice that it made Mojo genuinely shiver. It was all his fault... _everything_ was his fault.

"I... I can't bring them back. I just don't have that sort of power." He tried to sound nonchalant, but he felt not only horribly guilty, but horribly sad as well.

"So... they're_ really_ gone?" asked Boomer timidly.

"Yes. They are truly gone."


	16. Chapter Fifteen: Last Goodbyes

**Author's Note: **It has been _so_ long since I posted anything here! Well, I hope I'm welcome back... Sorry to leave you guys hanging for so long on this story, but life's been hectic. So anyway, I hope this isn't terrible. Here's the beginning of that happy ending I promised you.

**Chapter Fifteen**

Blossom sniffled. She sat on Brick's bed, her hands covering her face, tears streaming down her cheeks. Here she was trying to collect his belongings, saying her final goodbyes... and she couldn't do it. "Pull yourself together, Blossom..." she told herself. "What's done is done."

She lifted herself slowly from the mattress. Her legs quivered, and she fell to the floor sobbing. "W-Why?" she cried.

She lay on the ground for a few minutes, remembering her love. She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to him before... before... _before he..._

_**"I love Blossom with my whole heart. If she died, my heart would break, and I would just be an empty shell you once knew as Brick... I would be a monster again."**_

She sobbed harder, her hand balled into a fist.

_**... They kissed, and Blossom fell asleep on his shoulder...**_

She touched her lips... she remembered his warm touch on her.

"_**Positive. Listen," Brick said, reaching into his bloodied coat pocket. "I kept my most cherished possession in the second safest spot I know – under my bed. If... If I don't make it out of here, I want you to have it."**_

"_**Don't think like that! We're going to make it out," Blossom reassured him, "but just out of curiosity, what's the safest place you know?"**_

"_**With you."**_

Blossom opened her moist eyes, sitting up on the floor. "Under... my bed..." she whispered, pulling herself up and racing towards the bed. She sprawled out under the bed, grabbing at a small red box.

She opened it. Inside was a note, and a shiny golden watch. The note read:

**Brick --**

**This is my birthday present to you. For your birthday, from me. It sets back time. Makes mistakes go away by sending back time. Happy thirteenth birthday, son.**

**Mojo**

A small grin emerged on Blossom's face, and she wiped away the tears. There was... hope?

She touched the watch. On it said the time, the date, and the year. It was extrememly high-tech... Blossom was afraid she would break it, so she held it very gently. This was the last chance she had so longed for... She pressed a small button on the side, wondering if she should let her hopes get high, or if they would be dashed...

She set the day to the date of the trap, and shut her eyes tightly.


	17. Chapter Sixteen: Crash Course

**Author's Note: **swimerchik, I've held on to your quote for a very long time. And I think now it's time to use it. So, thank you. I hope this honors your friend and I am very happy to use it. (Your quote is in italics. Thank you so much.)

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

The walls seemed to close in on her. Everything moved very slowly... she held out her hand, and it swayed as if in slow motion. It felt like she was under water. Everything blurred... and everything got dark.

And then, suddenly, everything skyrocketed back into motion. Colors were everywhere, and Blossom could hardly keep her balance. She couldn't _breathe_. She felt nauseous and excited at the same time. She flew past figures of herself... she saw Butch attack Mojo, only in reverse. Then she noticed... _everything_ was in reverse. She saw Bubbles dying... oh, how horrible that was... she cringed. And harder still, she saw the avalanche a few moments before it hit Brick. How she wanted to just reach in there and stop it! She saw everything undone... she watched as their set fates unraveled from their binds. Everything was going to be different.

She saw as she and her sisters had come in through the door to Mojo's lab so foolishly. She watched as they sat back down at the table, eating sandwiches, and the Boys were innocently sleeping.

She felt as if someone clubbed her in the stomach with a bat, and she winced. And when she opened her eyes, she was sitting back down at the table.

"Don't you think it's odd that since we got back there hasn't been _any _crime from --" Blossom choked on her words, and gagged as the words that had already been said again became her own. It was literally as if they had been shoved down her throat.

"Blossom -- are you okay?" Bubbles asked, turning to Buttercup and swallowing a bite from the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Oh, thank goodness! Bubbles was safe... she was alive! Blossom smiled. "Are you choking, or --"

"We _have_ to get over to Mojo's Lair _right now_!" she screamed, her heart pounding. "Come _on_!" She grabbed her sisters and burst through the roof, her heart racing. Oh, what if it was too late? Oh, she _prayed_ that they were safe!

They sped across town. "Blossom!" Buttercup screamed. "Are you out of your mind? What's wrong with you?!"

"Shut UP!" Blossom screamed, flying faster. "Now, we can't just bust in there! We have to come up with a plan... but _what_...!?"

Bubbles and Buttercup exchanged wary glances. "Blossom, really, maybe you should see the Professor..."

"NO!" Blossom screamed. "There's no _time_! We _have to get there_, or else _hell_ will happen! Horrible things will happen, tragedies that would ruin our entire lives! Oh, _please_ let it be all right!"

Blossom realized that now was not the time for plans, but rather surprise. She crashed through the roof, landing straight on Mojo's torso. "**STOP RIGHT THERE!**" she screamed.

* * *

Mojo stared up into pink eyes, the gun that he had been pointing at the boys crashing loudly to the floor. His eyes were large circles, staring up guiltily at Blossom. "Hello..." Was all he could manage to say.

Blossom slapped him across the face. She leaned very close to him and said, "Mojo... if you _ever_ try to interfere with our relationships, I will personally disembowl you." Blossom snarled. "And if you think I can't do it..."

"B-Blossom," whimpered a frightened Bubbles, who came in through the hole in the roof. "W-What are y-you doing? He's b-been a good monkey..."

"Oh, if you only _knew_ what he was planning, you wouldn't be so sweet," hissed Blossom. All her rage and sorrow had escaped from her. She got off of Mojo, and looked him straight in the eye. "How _could_ you?"

Mojo looked shocked. "How -- how did you --" His eyes came to sudden realization of the events, and he glanced at Brick. "His... present..." Mojo stared back at Blossom. "Who...?"

"Your red son and my blue sister," Blossom replied coldly.

Mojo trembled and fell back to the ground, his mouth open in shock.

"Red... son?" Brick asked innocently. "Blossom, what are you --"

"Sshh," she hushed him. She looked at him lovingly for a moment. Oh, it was so good to see him alive again. She walked over to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him for three long minutes.

"And Brick... I heard what you said about us. I think that your choice in defending us was the sweetest thing ever. You see, _inside every one of us there is the potential for great good and great evil. In the right circumstances, each of us could be heroes or monsters. The thing to remember is that evil will come on its own, it does not require any effort to develop. Good, on the other hand, must be worked for._ And you, Brick, have earned the title of 'good'."

Mojo lay limp on the ground, and Blossom embraced Brick. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Blossom," he replied softly into her ear.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well, it's not over yet, and I'll be so sad when it is, you guys have no idea! _Survival of the Fittest_ was my first story _ever_, and it meant so much when it first came out. So ending this one will be so sad. But I hope it's not horrible! I hope this chapter was okay.


	18. Chapter Seventeen: The End

**Author's Note: **Happily ever after.

**Chapter Seventeen: There's No Place Like Home**

Blossom sat on the sofa next to Brick, who had his arm draped over her shoulder. Four other pairs of worried and confused eyes watched her as she squirmed.

"Blossom..." Buttercup repeated the question. "What just happened?"

Blossom looked over at Mojo Jojo, who was tied to a chair in the corner of the room. He looked at her with dead eyes and grumbled something. She turned back to her friends and heaved a sigh. What was she supposed to tell them?

She looked into Bubbles' innocent blue eyes. "Happiness" didn't even begin to cover the feelings she felt to see her sister alive.

Bubbles noticed her sister's glances at her. "Blossom, you okay?" she asked.

Blossom nodded and felt tense as everyone looked at her. Brick wrapped his arm tighter around her, and she looked up into his warm eyes. "It's okay," he said, nodding.

She looked at them.

What would she tell them?

She glanced down at her hands.

Blossom would tell them nothing.

This would be _her_ story, _her_ secret to keep throughought the years. She felt no need to tell them about something that would never happen... it would just scare them. And make them furious at Mojo Jojo. She glanced over at him again. He looked pitiful. He also looked remorseful. His eyes were pleading.

Regardless of all the evil he had done to them... she figured he had learned his lesson.

It would be for their own good that they would never know what Blossom had saved them from.

"Blossom..." Buttercup pressed. Brick shot her a look, without a doubt meaning, "Be patient."

Blossom nodded, thinking of something to say. There was nothing that came to mind.

"Honestly..." Blossom spoke, her voice not much more than a whisper. "It was just a whim. Mojo hadn't planned anything for a long while... and, I decided that he was up to something. Just superhero instincts, you know?" She forced a carefree smile.

Everyone believed it at once. They said praises like:

"That's our Blossom!"

"That's why she's the leader!"

"Good job..."

And other congratulations that made her blush.

* * *

After awhile, Buttercup and Butch headed outside due to boredom. Bubbles and Boomer soon followed, heading for the yard. Blossom was alone with Brick.

They were quiet for awhile, Blossom's head resting on Brick's warm shoulder. Brick turned his head and faced Blossom. "That's not really what happened," Brick whispered into her ear.

Blossom was surprised. "But everyone believed --"

"Yeah, they did," he nodded, looking into her shocked eyes. "But I know you a lot better than that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the clock. He smirked at her.

Blossom stared at him, wide-eyed. "You _knew_?"

Again, he nodded.

He wrapped her in his arms and said, "Thanks for choosing to save me."

"I couldn't imagine a life without you... There was no choice to be made."

"I love you, Blossom. You know that."

"I love you, too."

* * *

Bubbles looked up at the sky, her hand in Boomer's. They looked up at the stars.

"Do you believe in happily ever after?" she asked after a few minutes of silence. She looked into his dark blue eyes.

After a moment, Boomer smiled widely. "Of course I believe in happily ever after."

Bubbles waited for a moment, looking for an explanation.

"I believe in it..." Boomer said, holding Bubbles in his arms. "... because I've found it." He kissed her deeply, her eyes widening his happiness, and then closing as she kissed him back.

* * *

"I'd say 'I love you so much', and all that mushy stuff, except I know that you don't really care about that," Butch said, smiling triumphantly at Buttercup.

"I... well, I..." Buttercup winced.

"I know, I know... we can't get all mushy gushy because you have a reputation to uphold," Butch said, teasingly.

"Well... maybe just this once..." she replied.

"I don't know about that..." Butch said, laughing.

"Oh, come here you big dork," she said. She pulled him into a kiss, running her fingers through his hair. He smirked. She whispered softly into the kiss, "I love you so much..."


	19. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

_Thank you all for reading this story. It's been a pleasure to write, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it._

_This concludes the "Survival of the Fittest" series. _

_Love you all!_


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